5 Best Hosting for Ruby on Rails- July 2016

Finding the best web hosting for Ruby on Rails can be difficult, especially when you consider the need for high-quality, scalable network architecture to power your Rails app or website.

With Ruby (the programming language RoR is written in) continuing to be a popular technology for web developers (AirBnB, GitHub, Bloomberg, SoundCloud to name a few examples of RoR in action), there is an ever expanding list of hosting providers out there to choose from for your next Rails deployment.

While there are certainly more RoR hosting providers now then when the framework was first developed, getting quality Rails hosting without breaking the bank can be challenging. Additionally, proper support and a stable hosting environment for your Rails app can also be hard to come by.

We’ve compiled our best hosting for Ruby on Rails list based on technology, support, and cost. Keep scrolling to see who made the cut!

Best Hosting for Ruby on Rails Summary

1

2

3

4

5

Site5

5/5

PROS

Free migration and setup

Option for Phusion Passenger or FastCGI

Lots of pre-installed Gems

30 day free trial

CONS

Different locations are $1 extra

Site5 is our number one choice when it comes to hosting for Ruby on Rails, as they even use RoR to power their client management and billing area! Rails specific plans start at a very affordable $4.95 a month. Site5 is one of the few hosting providers that allows you to try out their service before you pay, with a 30 day free trial being a great way to see if they are a good fit for you.

All Site5 plans come with unmetered disk space and bandwidth, while Rails developers will be happy to see the option of choosing either Phusion Passenger or FastCGI web server interface, while EdgeRails support means you will always have the latest Rails version available.

Finding a solid Rails host without emptying your bank account can be tricky, but Site5 ticks all the right check boxes without the high price tag. Take advantage of their 30 day free trial (and an additional 45 day money back guarantee) and give them a try for yourself using the link below!

A2Hosting

4.5/5

PROS

A2 SwiftServer platform

Options for Managed hosting

SSD storage

PostgreSQL support

CONS

Lack of Windows hosting plans

Price varies depending on term

A2 Hosting is second on our list, with an impressive range of features available to support your Ruby on Rails app. Free SSH access, PostgreSQL support, and SSD storage are all included with all plans, while A2’s unmanaged VPS plans starting at $5 a month with full root access might be a perfect option for you.

A2’s SwiftServer platform is perfectly suited for deploying Rails apps, with custom caching through memcached, HTTP/2 protocol, and CloudFlare CDN integration. With server locations in Michigan, Singapore, and Amsterdam, A2 Hosting is also a great option if you want your Rails deployment to have a global presence.

A2 Hosting is a great choice when it comes to web hosting in general, and the features we mentioned above also reinforce them as quality hosting for Ruby on Rails. Check out their service and enjoy the comfort of their anytime money back guarantee!

DigitalOcean

4/5

PROS

55 second setup time

Hourly pricing available

SSD storage

Instant Rails deployment

CONS

No live chat or telephone support

No money back guarantee

Digital Ocean has emerged as the leading hosting solution for web developers, with a clean and efficient interface perfectly suited for Rails developers. Hourly pricing and team accounts makes project management affordable and easy, while KVM virtualized droplets and SSD storage ensure a high level of performance.

Pricing for Digital Ocean starts at $5 a month (or $0.007 an hour if you choose their hourly pricing), which gives you a droplet with 512 MB RAM, a single core processor, 20 GBs of SSD storage, and one TB of monthly bandwidth. A 99.99% uptime SLA and tons of locations across the world also make Digital Ocean a hosting provider you can depend on.

It is worth noting that Digital Ocean isn’t for everyone, as there is a substantial learning curve when it comes to their service. The absence of a money back guarantee as well as live chat and telephone support is another reason why beginner Rails developers might look elsewhere. Use the link below and check out their website and service for yourself!

FastComet

3.5/5

PROS

Free domain for life

SSD storage

RocketCacher caching system

CONS

Not much!

While a newcomer to the world of web hosting, FastComet should not be underestimated by those seeking solid, affordable Rails hosting. Suitable for both developers and designers, it’s data centers in Amsterdam and Frankfurt have capacity for 2,500 centers—and its London location the capacity for a staggering 10,000! US is covered with multiple locations in most major cities.

FastComet is easy on the wallet, too. It’s e-commerce hosting plan clocks in at a mere $6.95 a month and includes goodies such as a free SSL certificate, unlimited SSD storage, and priority support. Better yet, it supports applications such as OpenCart, Joomla, and Social Engine, making it a great option for those looking for budget-friendly application-specific hosting.

FastComet’s modernized approach to hosting much also be commended, as customers can manage their site, billing information, and even support requests through their easy-to-use mobile application.

We’re definitely smitten with FastComet’s service. You can see if you are too—there’s no harm in trying thanks to it’s 45-day money back guarantee!

Arvixe

3.1/5

PROS

Free domain registration for life

Plethora of Windows and Linux plans

60 day money back guarantee

CONS

EIG affiliation

Some concerns regarding uptime

Arvixe is an industry veteran that is present on a lot of our recommended hosting lists. With explicit Rails support offered for all VPS and shared hosting plans, as well as the option for Windows or Linux OS, Arvixe is a pretty solid pick if you need hosting for Ruby on Rails.

Arvixe includes the most popular Rails gems for building applications, with Passenger, Mongrel, Rake, Nokogiri, and RMagick. Additional libraries supported include ImageMagick, OpenSSL, CURL, and openLDAP.

Unfortunately, there is one big black mark with Arvixe, as they have been recently purchased by EIG (read more regarding EIG here), which is in and of itself enough reason for worry. Another negative mark would be some concerns regarding reliability, as since the EIG takeover they have struggled to maintain a positive up time record (read more in our Arvixe review).

Nonetheless, Arvixe might be a good choice simply because of their low prices and developer-friendly features. With a 60-day money back guarantee, they may just prove to be a good option for your Rails server needs.

Hosting for Ruby on Rails: Some considerations

Rails has enjoyed immense popularity since it’s inception, with a clean and efficient framework being highly appreciated by developers and among the open source community. It is also highly flexible, which makes a VPS highly recommended to use in conjunction with Rails development.

Virtual Private Servers are functionally equivalent to physical dedicated servers, with full root access to your own virtual server. With cloud hosting also being an extension of VPS servers to some degree, they are also a flexible option for Rails hosting.

While Rails is great for speed and efficiency, it is also one of the more resource-intensive frameworks out there, with server hardware and the hosting environment being even more important than usual. All of the Rails hosting providers we’ve listed here have excellent hardware in place to properly support your Rails deployment.

Additionally, make sure to double check to see if Phusion Passenger and FastCGI are available, as these are the most popular and efficient way of handling your Rails web server.

We hope our recommendations have given you a better idea of who to choose when it comes to your next Ruby on Rails project. Leave us your thoughts or comments below!

Best Hosting for Ruby on Rails Summary

Rank

Company

Score

Price

Link

1

2

3

4

5

Written by Thomas UjjThomas Ujj is an expat/traveler and IT enthusiast with a passion for IT security and privacy. When he isn’t planning his next trip, he likes to take time to practice his Italian cooking as well as religiously watching Italian football team AS Roma.